FEATURE:
Second Spin
Toni Braxton – Toni Braxton
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I am doing a Lockdown Playlist about Babyface…
very soon, as people do not realise how many tremendous songs he has written or produced! I have been spinning the amazing Breathe Again a lot lately. Written by Babyface, it was the second single from 1993’s Toni Braxton. Of course, a lot of the song’s success is because of the awesome vocal performance by Braxton herself. Before getting down to the album itself, I want to set aside some space to highlight how Breathe Again was received by critics:
“Breathe Again" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Ron Wynn of AllMusic picked the song as a highlight from the album, writing that "Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on the track." According to Daryl Easlea of BBC Music, the song "fully established Braxton," calling it "a delicate ballad that refused to resort wholly to cliché, it is brought to life by Braxton’s dreamy, breathy delivery." Larry Flick from Billboard described it as "a yearning, R&B-framed ballad." He added, "Once again, her vocal is expressive and moving—mostly due to an unusual willingness to let some rough-edged notes mingle with the sweet diva-like tones. Braxton's earthy personality makes her seem more accessible than a lot of other chest-pounding singers." Also Mitchell May of Chicago Tribune was very positive, writing that "the way her voice throbs when she sings, 'I can't stop thinking about you,' conveys a sense of despair and longing that is rare." John Martinucci from Gavin Report described it as "melancholy". People magazine called the song "haunting", writing that, "The quaver in her voice says more about love's promise and deceit than many singers manage in a career.” John McAlley of Rolling Stone called it "the album's best material", writing that "Braxton's love hangover has reached ludicrously epic proportions." Steve Pick from St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that "here's another sad love song from a sultry alto singer who seems to be getting the best of the LaFace production team's work this year. This pretty tune benefits greatly from Braxton's ability to hint at the over-the-top histrionics she never quite falls into. As a result, it's both smooth and edgy." James Hunter from Vibe said that Babyface's writing on "Breathe Again" "gives the deserving future star melodic peaks and valleys to explore with her gorgeously detailed, unconceited voice".
I love that song, and I feel Toni Braxton has many other tracks that have the same sort of power and memorability. Another Sad Love Song, Seven Whole Days, Love Affair, and I Belong to You are tremendous tracks. I don’t feel there are many weak spots on the album. Released on 13th July, 1993, Toni Braxton’s debut studio album was one that I remember fondly. Breathe Again is my favourite song from the album, though there are so many gems throughout. In terms of its success and sales, the album did really well:
“Toni Braxton debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and later spent two non-consecutive weeks atop the chart as well as three non-consecutive weeks atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It has sold 5,135,000 copies in the United States and 10 million copies worldwide. The album was primarily produced by L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons. The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at numbers seven and two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts, respectively. The album's second single, "Breathe Again", peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B charts and at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Other singles were released from Toni Braxton in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", and the double A-side "I Belong to You"/"How Many Ways".
The album received positive reviews and earned Braxton several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album)”.
What gets to me is how mixed the reviews are. Her 1996 follow-up, Secrets, was received better (thanks in small part because of the megahit, Un-Break My Heart), but I feel many overlooked Toni Braxton as a merely ‘promising’ album. The album is solid, full of personality and variation. This is what Rolling Stone wrote in their 1993 review:
“Braxton had her coming out with "Love Shoulda Brought You Home," a modest hit from last year's Boomerang soundtrack. A slow-groove saga of betrayal and infidelity, the song revealed Braxton's vocal promise and established her image as a feisty survivor in the face of heartbreak. Its popularity did not, however, prefigure the explosive success of Toni Braxton, her debut album. Credit that to the album's skyrocketing first single. "Another Sad Love Song" – with its dynamic vocal, gargantuan hook and clever song-with-in-a-song lyric – surely ranks with "The End of the Road," "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "Every Little Step" as one of LaFace's greatest triumphs. "Another Sad Love Song" reinforces Braxton's lovelorn persona, as do several other midtempo ballads that L.A., Babyface and Daryl Simmons have front-loaded into Toni Braxton. Indeed, by the time you've gotten through the album's best material – "Breathe Again" (the second single), "Seven Whole Days" and "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" – Braxton's love hangover has reached ludicrously epic proportions.
Certainly, Braxton has got chops and spunk ("I ain't down with o.p.p.," she snaps on "Love Affair"). And, yes, there are a handful of songs in which she gets to do the do. But there's not a poet in the house among LaFace's family of writer-producers – no Smokey Robinson, no Linda Creed. And for all its polish, too much of the music on Toni Braxton mistakes melodrama for passion and set pieces for soul”.
I feel that, all these years later, people should reinspect Toni Braxton’s amazing debut. Last year’s Spell My Name received positive reviews. It shows that, almost three decades since her debut album, Braxton has plenty of life, lease and purpose. I think she will be making albums for many years more. I have a lot of love for her 1993 debut. In a positive review, this is what AllMusic noted:
“Toni Braxton is both an elegant and earthy songstress, nicely balancing those seemingly divergent sentiments on her self-titled debut disc. Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on "Breathe Again," dismayed on "Another Sad Love Song," and disillusioned on "Love Shoulda Brought You Home." But she's never out of control, indignant, or so anguished and hurt that she fails to retain her dignity. It's a sign of how great the Babyface/L.A. Reid production team was that they didn't settle for a defining mood; they presented Braxton with enough diverse emotional settings to hold the interest of urban contemporary males and females”.
I shall leave it there, though I would advise people to check out Toni Braxton and play the album through. It is an amazing album that has so much to enjoy! From the sultry and emotional Breathe Again to the sexy and powerful How Many Ways, I think the album offers up a lot to enjoy. Toni Braxton has received more acclaimed albums since her debut, but I feel that people should give this amazing introduction…
ANOTHER spin.